A Second Chance
by BookwormFangirl3712
Summary: Death gods aren't the only supernatural creatures that enjoy entertainment. What happens when Quen—a disheartened Kami—seeks something that will catch her attention? Post Death Note; LxLight MelloxMatt NearxOC
1. Prologue

Quen detested visiting the shinigami realm. Those ridiculous death gods didn't do anything but sit around and gamble. And bring death. However, she needed the help of a particular shinigami.

He was known throughout all realms, the death god who'd dropped his notebook into the human world, creating the biggest chaos the puny mortals had ever seen. She wanted to know how. No, she didn't simply _want_ it, she _needed _it. The realm of the Kami's was no longer as entertaining as it used to be, either. Now there were _rules _placed upon Kami's, forbidding them from returning souls to bodies lives unless they had died only recently before. Apparently reviving a year old corpse was a 'bad idea'. Seriously, what was wrong with those stupid mortals? Didn't they want their family back? It wasn't the gods' faults that their fragile little bodies decayed so quickly. And honestly, all this nonsense about eating brains? Preposterous! Just because they were too deformed to be understood didn't mean the resurrected were vile! Humans were a funny, stupid, entertaining race.

And that's what Quen was lacking.  
Entertainment.  
Unfortunately, Kami's were prohibited by law to drop their notes into the human world. So, as a solution, Quen needed the help of a cunning immortal, who had done unbelievable things out of boredom.  
Maybe he would be moved to help another god bored out of their mind…?  
Without second-guessing herself, the Kami jumped through the portal, allowing the swirling onyx maelstrom to deposit her in the realm of the Death Gods.  
_Fwooshh…..Swieyp-Thump!  
_ _'Was it always such a short trip…?'_  
She set out to find Ryuk. The realm of the Death Gods was so barren; nothing grew, all that was around was a desert of rocks streching for forever in all directions. She started toward a mound of rocks assembled to look like a makeshift cave and walked in, earning amused and shocked expressions from the five shinigamis inhabiting the cavern.  
_"Hyak hyak hyak…a Kami….what're you doing back here, Quen? The Shinigami Lord made it clear you were not to come back."_ One of them, a creature with bron-gray skin and scars decorating his entire being said.  
"_Hello. I am looking for the Shinigami Ryuk. Where can I find him?"_  
Another, with a bull's skull as a head, answered. _"Wha—? Looking for him, are 'ya? Well, he doesn't enjoy company. Especially not now."  
_Quen was beginning to grow annoyed. _"I realize, thank you for the consideration. Now, do any of you know where it is I may find him?" _  
The question hung in the air until the scarred one, with a grunt, answered. Quen tossed him an apple and he lunged greedily, tossing it whole into his mouth. Quen rolled her eyes in disgust and exited the cave, extending her wings and flying to find Ryuk.

-  
The directions the shinigami had given her led her to yet another cave, this one formed of stalagmites and stalagtites. Of course, he had given her the most inconvienient route, which had had her flying directly over the King's quarters. Risky.  
She regretted rewarding him with the apple.  
She set her feet down on solid ground and entered the den, eyes searching until she found the huntched black figure at the opposite end of the grotto.  
She chuckled triumphantly.

_"Hmpf? Who's there?" _The lazy shinigami didn't even bother to turn his head. Quen glared.

_"Ryuk; I hear you had a very interesting time meddling with the humans. I would like such entertainer as well." _

The shinigami snorted, turning to face Quen for the first time. His eyes widened, and he let out a chuckle of disbelief.

_"Hyuk! You? You think I'd be so stupid as to associate with you after the shinigami king has declared you an enemy? I don't care how bored you are, Kami, you ain't gettin' any help from me." _

Quen sighed, producing two large, golden apples. The apples from the Kami realm. They were even more intoxicating and addictive and delicious than that grew on Earth. Ryuk seemed to have a change of perspective instantly. He smiled, making his ever-grinning expression stretch even further than Quen could have though possible.

_"Alright, rookie. I'll tell you what I know about humans. I know you must'a heard one version of the story, but I'll be generous enough to tell you how it really went." _

At the end of his explanation, It took all of Quen's willpower to keep her expression clean of emotion. Internally, she was gaping at the shinigami. His experience...it was_unbelievable! _She truly had a hard time processing it all. This Yagami character...

_"Hey, you gonna give me one'a those apples or what?"_

Quen rolled her eyes and tossed one of the apples at Ryuk. Her eyes narrowed.

_"That was an interesting story."_

_"Believe me kiddo, I know. I don't need ya tellin' me."_

_"Well, you see, I'm in a sort of a predicament."_

_"Oh—?"_

_"Yes. And I need your help."_

_"Now hold on here. What makes you think I'll help ya'? I only do what I want."_

_"This will turn out just as entertaining as your story—more entertainment, you want that, right? Plus, I'll even toss in some apples of you're a good little shinigami."_

Ryuk seemed to be pondering it.

_"Alright," _He agreed, reluctantly. Quen tossed him another apple, which he grabbed at anxiously. He moved to stand up, his large figure moving to show Quen a swirling pool of black, much like the one she'd taken to get to the shinigami realm. He noticed her staring and grunted that yes, it was the way to the human world from this Wasteland.

She shivered in anticipation. Ryuk regarded her reaction with an amused gleam in his eyes.

_"Before we go dropping this notebook into the human world, Ryuk, there are some rules you should be informed of."_

_"Eh? Alright, whatever."_

_"First, a Kami is not allowed to simply drop their notebook into the human world. They must carefully watch a particular human and decide said mortal is worthy before submitting a request to the Kami Queen. She then decides whether or not said human is worthy of the powers of a life note."_

_"That's ridiculous! Where's the fun in that?"_

_"There isn't any," _Quen snapped._"That's the most irritating part."_

Ryuk seemed to be thinking.

_"Are there any rules against dropping your notebook into the Mu?"_

Quen was taken aback by the question.

_"I...I don't know. I've never heard of it being against the law...well, I've never heard of it at all. Usually it's either the humans or the Skalkies, but mostly my kind tries to avoid that vicious breed." _

Ryuk cackled. _"What a stubborn, single-minded race the Kami are..."_

_ "Well, I suggest that, since there's no known rule against it, we drop your book into the Mu. That would turn out interesting, as there are so many peculiar dead spirits..." _

_"But we have no idea of how the consequences would result as." _Quen argued, and Ryuk regarded her with amusement as he chuckled.

_"That's the most interesting part."_


	2. Chapter 1

_**ASH**_

Ash took her time packing her bags. She knew that all that would be waiting for her was chaos in the halls, the residents of Wammy's house eccentric and excited to begin the weekend.  
"Ash, would you mind speaking with me for a moment?" Mr. Makoui asked, and Ask, as shocked as she was, simply nodded. She gathered her things and waited as the last few students trickled out before making her way to her Geography teacher's desk.  
The sandy haired middle aged man cleared his throat.  
"Ash, it is an understanding of mine that you were a close aquaintance of Mello's and Matt's…"  
"They aren't dead, are they?" She asked abruptly, the words spiling out of her mouth before she could control them. Of course it'd been a year since the Kira case had ended…but the two teenagers still hadnt returned to the institute. Even for a visit. She could expect as much from Mello, always going along, never looking back, doing as he pleased; but _Matt_…  
She had hoped that the elder's at Wammy's had still been keeping track of the two despite the case's completion…  
Took off his glasses and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  
"Ash, don't you believe it would be…_beneficial,_ to aquiante yourself with other's at the institute and make other friends? Don't you believe they would have returned by now had they been planning on it?"  
Ash made a face at her teacher.  
"You're no one to be telling me this! You don't even know anything! You're just a stupid employee who most definitely is in _no position _to tell me how to behave socially."  
The man sat down and turned to gaze at Ash with pity.  
She wanted to smack that stupid look of _sympathy _off his wrinkled face.  
"Ash…" He sighed, "maybe I'm not the best person to be telling you this; maybe you should speak with Roger."  
The younger girl shook her head at the mention of the Head of Wammy's House's name.  
"No," She said, her voice a monotone, "I'd rather not. Thanks for the concern, though."  
She left before the instructor could argue any more.

-  
She was in her dorm studying when the knock came. For half a second she wished she had a roommate whom she could send to answer the door instead of having to get up off her comfortable bed and go talk to someone she probably wasn't even in the mood to deal with. "Coming," She muttered, sliding off the bed and shuffling to the door. Once the door was ajar she realized that yes, this was most definitely someone she did not want to talk to. She didn't even bother formally greeting him as any other student at Wammy's would; she simply sighed and started back towards the bed, the elderly man following behind her.  
Roger had originally been expected to only serve as a temporary replacement to Wammy himself while the founder of the institute had gone off with L to crack the Kira case; however, when it had become evident both the detective and his butler had died, they needed a new coordinator.  
And, obviously, that honor was bestowed upon Roger.  
Ash personally didn't like him. She found him to be…..daft, to say the least. She didn't see how anyone expected him to live up the the legend that was Wammy himself. He sat down on the chair by her desk as she laid upside-down on the bed, her head hanging over the edge as her frizzy red hair fell down in a forest around her face and the tips were barely brushing the floor. She turned to look at Roger (whom she was now viewing upside down, his frown appearing to be a smile) and saw he was looking at _anything but her._ She sat up and processed what everyone's attitude towards her meant; she'd known in her gut ever since had talked to her earlier that week, but she chose to ignore it despite her subconscious awareness of the truth: they were all dead. L, Mello, Matt, Near. They'd all been defeated by evil. But then...?  
…Then why was Kira no more?  
"I want to know exactly what happened." She informed the elder man, who simply regarded her peculiarly.  
"As do I."  
Ash threw a pillow across the room at him.  
"That's not _good enough!_" He remained mute, allowing her to mentally sort out the jumble in her brain. Of course, she knew _why_ Roger was talking to her now. She sighed dramatically and fell face-first into the bed.  
"I don't _want to be L_!" She yelled into the mattress, and she could hear that the old man had stood to leave. She bolted out of the bed and grabbed his hand.  
"I…" her voice cracked. "When…did they die?"  
He grimaced. "We suspect a little over a year ago."  
_A…__**year**__….._  
"_Get out!_" She snarled, and the man complied. She slammed the door behind him and fell against the door, sliding down as her legs gave way and she began to sob.

_**~~  
L.**_

Death was odd. He was nowhere yet he was everywhere; he could see everything although he was blind; he could feel everything despite that he felt nothing. He was alone, but he was surrounded.  
The genius could not fathom phrasing the experience into understandable words.  
Then suddenly…there was _something._  
Out of complete nothingness suddenly there was **something.**  
Just…what _was_ it?  
At his first glimpse, L fell backwards and crawled backwards away from what seemingly appeared to be a white Death Note.  
The damned thing had freaking followed him into Hell.  
_'Great. Just what I need…'_  
L had moved to examine the supposed 'death note' more closely and realized that there was something that made him feel different about this notebook than he had the other. This one gave off…..a different _aura._ Unlike the Death Note, this book didn't seem to emit, well…._death. _He gingerly picked it up and began to examine it up close. On the front were an array of strange hieroglyphs written in black ink as well as the words 'Life Note' in English. He opened it, and much to his dismay, the first rule was an exact copy of that of the Death note, with a few words changed.  
_'The Soul whose name is written in this note shall come to life within 40 seconds.'_  
He sighed. "How cliché…"  
He felt better, however, upon realizing that the second rule of this notebook strayed from that of the Death note.  
_'After writing your own name into the life note, the notebook will not be transported into the human realm with you and the owner will no longer obtain the ability to resurrect sprits. However, the owner will retain all memories of the Life note and their experience in Mu.'_

Hmpf. Well then…  
That meant whoever he wanted alive he would have to write before writing his own name.  
Well, that would be a problem, considering he didn't know who was dead and knew wasn't and he had no way of figuring that out.  
Another problem: Even if he _did _want to write names down, he didn't have any means of marking the paper.  
Oh, there was a pen in between the pages.  
He hoped death wasn't making him daft.

He wrote the one person he knew was dead; He wrote Watari's full name. Now, for the others. He checked through the ruled to see the effects of writing the name of someone who was already alive (just in case). There was nothing.

No rule stating whether it would take the negative effect or the person would remain unharmed.  
No_thing._

L was enraged. How was he supposed to know what to do _now?_  
'_Think….__**think**__…' _Okay, since this… "life note" was supposedly the life bringing equivalent of the Death Note, it should perform in about the same manner.  
So, when a name was written twice in the Death note, the fact that it was written twice didn't cancel the fact that it was used and the person did not survive, and when the name of someone who was already dead was written, they weren't resurrected. So, by that logic, even if the person were to have their name written, they would remain unaffected.  
_'Good.'_  
Before the Kira case, L would have been sure he were losing his mind. Actually blindly trusting this notebook to actually transport him back to the human realm. It should have been considered wishful thinking, but the fact of the matter was, _it was right within his grasp_.  
He had to try.

'Miheal Keehl'  
'Mail Jeevas'  
'Nate Rivers'  
'Amàlie Byerens'  
'Julie Shaw'  
'Markaus O'Neill'  
He continued to list the names of the top student's at Wammy's. Of course he knew them all by name; he'd met a handful of them in person before. A very small handful. Next, the task force.

'Soichiro Yagami'  
'Shuichi Aizawa'  
'Kanzo Mogi'  
'Touta Matsuda'  
'Hideki Ide'  
'Hirokazu Ukita'

….

'Light Yagami'  
Yes, he wanted to have Kira alive. Of course if he were dead, that would mean that he was Kira and the case was over.  
That would be a good thing…..that evil, mass murderer dead, right?  
Well, too late to second guess himself. He'd already written the name.  
Did he want to write Amane Misa, too?  
No, better leave the blonde bimbo dead.  
She was too annoyingly stupid.

Finally, his name.  
_L. Lawliet._

L waited as the 40 seconds passed, expecting an experience close to what he'd felt as he'd died.  
He'd miscalculated.  
This experience was much, much worse.  
He felt nothing at first, then slowly; excruciatingly so, he felt himself grow warmer on the inside until it became hotter, and hotter, and hotter still to the point where his body was a living inferno. He gasped and writhed in pain, falling to a heap on the ground. His eyes widened awfully and he squirmed, gasping as his eyes began to water and the heat from inside grew still. The heat spread, as well, to all parts of his body. Down to his toes, through his veins, into his fingertips.

All at once, it stopped.


	3. Chapter 2

**Warning: **If you don't like yaoi, don't read this fic. There's nothing beyond kissing (it's rated T, not M) but if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Desu Noto characters, but I wish I did.

_**Light**_

Light squinted as he felt the bright, warm sunlight shower the room. There was the sound of clanking metal as he felt something (or someone) join him on the bed. He groaned in annoyance, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was another pair staring into his own.  
L sat crouched in front of Light on the bed in his usual crouching position, his thumb in his mouth, his eyes staring directly into Light's soul. They almost sparkled with amusement at what they saw. He was smirking annoyingly. Light flinched back in shock at the proximity to L, and shoved the detective away as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched. Of course, shoving L away didn't make much of a difference; the genius was still handcuffed to Light, and although the chain was long, it wasn't as long as Light would have liked.  
"How did you sleep?" L asked, his monotonous way of speaking oddly not as annoying on this particular morning as it usually was.  
"Well, thank you." Light lied easily. Honestly, he couldn't remember a time in which he'd slept worse.  
L kept staring at him, worrying at his thumb as he got ready for the day of work. It was odd—Ryuuzaki was acting even stranger than usual. He knew there was something the detective wanted to tell him—so much was evident by Ryuuzaki's behaviour—but couldn't he just get it over with already? So, naturally, he asked while they were eating breakfast, before the other task force members would arrive. Watari had prepared an egg, sunny side up, for Light, paired with a cup of coffee. L, however, was dining on a box of donuts and tea. Of course, after all the sugar he added, Light truly wondered whether the sludge could still be considered as 'tea'.  
"So, any new news about the Kira case come up while I was asleep?"  
L shrugged, his huge, innocent panda eyes turning up from the chocolate glazed donut in his hand to gaze at the younger boy.  
"Amane Misa is dead."  
Light choked on his coffee. Misa was…..dead? The girl was weird, sure, and definitely overly clingy, but…  
"Dead? Kira killed her?"  
Ryuuzaki's eyes narrowed as he gazed at Light over his teacup.  
"No, Light-kun. Miss Amane was proven to be Kira and was sentenced to death for her crimes."  
Light should have been happy with that, right? Well, not _happy,_ but relieved, at the least. That meant that Ryuuzaki no longer had any reason to believe Light to be Kira. And Light _wasn't _Kira.  
"But you still believe me to be Kira as well, don't you, Ryuuzaki?"  
Ryuuzaki didn't respond. Light nodded stiffly, his face a blank, expressionless mask. He'd known that with Ryuuzaki, even if they caught a million Kiras, he would still believe Light to be one too. No matter how much evidence proved him wrong. But still—it stung. Why? Light had no idea. But it did.  
"No, Light-kun, I don't believe I do."  
Light looked up to meet the gaze of the older detective, startled.  
"Wha—seriously, Ryuuzaki? Honestly?" It had been impossible for Light to even persuade the panda-eyed genius to merely entertain the idea of his innocence for a second before, and suddenly L was admitting it openly? How long had Light been asleep?! And what the hell had Misa said to change L's beliefs so _fully_?!  
"Yes, I am being completely honest. Much fell into place once we uncovered all Misa told us. I would like to apologize."  
Light had absolutely no idea why he did it. He was overwhelmed with emotions and he needed to express his relief, and joy, and shock. Light didn't even realize _why _he'd cared so much about what L thought of him, or why he sometimes thought things about the detective that he really had _no business_ thinking. Actually, he'd never bothered to examine his position from an objective point of view. His subconscious must have been purposely ignoring the matter for fear of what the results would be. But in that moment, Light simply could not restrain himself from leaning across the table until he was nose to nose with the insomniac. He almost leaned in, before stopping himself at the last minute, his eyes widening in shock. He tried to jerk away; however, L grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward, their lips crashing together.

-  
_**ASH**_

Ash was, in all honesty, completely okay with locking herself in her room and secluding herself from the rest of the world. Afterall, that was what she'd have to do for the _rest of her life_ as L's (and Near's) successor, right? Why not just get a freakin' head start? She was sure she was making Roger very proud.  
What? Oh no, she wasn't bitter _at all_.  
Because honestly, what was there to be bitter about when the most important people to you died and you had to become their successor, spending the rest of your life solving _police cases in complete isolation_.  
Oh, wait, save the people on your task force. Who of which, you know, only stuck around for the dough.  
Someone knocked on the door. Ash rolled her eyes, not even bothering to look up from her book, let alone answer the door. You'd think that, for a school of genii, they would have understood by now that she was _not going to answer the door._ She just put in her earphones and cranked up the music, aware that eventually whoever it was would give up and go away. Unfortunately, the knocking just grew louder and more incessant until she could hear it over her music. Growling, she raised the music until it had reached the highest volume and Ash was sure her eardrums would burst. At least if they did, she wouldn't be able to hear that stupid knocking anymore. The door opened and in walked Roger. She sighed. So much for privacy. He seemed to be talking to her, since his mouth began to move and he was making dramatic gestures with his hands, but she still had her earphones in so whatever he was saying was being drowned out by a magnificent song by _Matchbox 20_.  
He eventually seemed to realize that she wasn't even listening to what he was saying and he pulled her earphones out of her ears.  
"Ash, did you not listen a word I just said?"  
"I've never listened to anything you've had to say, Roger. Why would I start now?"  
The old man's face turned red.  
"Listen to me, young lady—,"  
"I'm leaving Wammy's, Roger." She stated, butting off the elder man. Her face was blank, her tone empty. Roger stared at her, his eyes wide and mouth opened in shock.  
"This is an honor, Miss By—,"  
"_Don't use my name_." She snapped, her tone cold. He nodded in understanding and continued.  
"I do not understanding your reasoning for acting as such. This is a huge honor being bestowed upon you, this is the goal in which all your peers strive to achieve, yet you—,"  
"So blatantly refuse it? Yes."  
"But Ash—,"  
"My closest friends are _dead now_, dammit, because of that job! Do you really believe that I should be ecstatic to replace them in that which killed them all?!"  
Roger sighed, exhausted.  
"That was different, that was when they were still up against Kira."  
"So you're telling me Kira received justice?"  
"I'm telling you what I know, and what I know is that he has ceased to pass judgment on any other criminals, or anyone, for that matter, since the others disappeared."  
"Well, that does not change the fact that I—,"  
Roger's phone went off and he answered it, exiting the room. Ash rolled her eyes and returned to her book. Not too long after, Roger returned, an excited expression plastered to his face. Ash snickered; it was a funny expression to see on the old head of Wammy's house.  
"I just received a call."  
"And I just read a page. So what?"  
"Ash, It was L."

_I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Well I believe it all is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come_

* * *

A.N.: Okay, yay, LxLight x3 And poor Ash.  
The lyrics, by the way, are to the song 'How Far we've Come' by Matchbox 20.  
Gah, I'm finally done with finals and I was anxious to write some Death note goodness, so here you go you crazy people!  
Oh, and what is that? Light doesn't remember a thing? NO HE DOESN'T Mwaha he doesn't remember being Kira OR dying.  
It's just about the best situation L could ask for.  
And don't worry about Near, Mello, and Matt not being in here yet; they come soon enough, and I don't think I'd be able to _not _write about them for much longer...they're too cute x3  
Enjoy!  
Review please! I love hearing what you guys think!  
Potato chips, chocolate bars, and cake for everyone! xD


	4. Chapter 3

**_Near_**

The idea that now L was back was unfathomable to the graduate of Wammy's. L was dead. After the Kira investigation had come to a close, Near had gone and _seen the corpse._ Yet Near had also seen Light Yagami die, but Kira was back as well. And Wammy. The albino couldn't deny what was right in front of him. His eyes weren't lying.  
Was this morning giving him the worst headache he'd ever endured? Absolutely.  
Was he getting _any closer _to figuring out _what was going on_? Absolutely _not.  
_This was the most ridiculous sitting he'd ever had to bear.  
_Tea with Kira and L! Whose _stupid_ idea was _that_?!_  
There, across the table from the young genius, sat L and his opponent in the flesh. And as if the fact that the two were _arch enemies _and they were sitting alongside each other like old friends wasn't enough for Near to process, there was also that nagging fact that, oh yeah, they were supposed to be rotting underground right now. Furthermore, 'Watari' was not supposed to be pouring him green tea with honey. There was silence in the room save the occasional sound of clinking dishes and utensils. Too many questions swirled around in Near's head he had not even the vaguest idea where to begin. Ah, well. Might as well just start at the beginning.  
"So who _else _has returned from the land of the dead? Did Mello and Matt catch a ride with you on Charon's ferry back, as well?" Near asked, his voice displaying none of the millions of emotions he was feeling. _Yes, _Near felt emotions, despite what the psychotic (maybe dead) blonde had everyone at Wammy's believe. It was simply better for everyone that he not express them. Obviously, Kira still retained his ability to deceive people, because now he was wearing a mask of confusion and uncertainty.  
_Damn you Kira._  
The son of the police chief opened his mouth about to speak before L nonchalantly cut him off. "Actually, Near," L was speaking around his thumb, his other hand mixing his coffee-sugar sludge with a spoon. "We have no idea what you're talking about." L was looking at Near as if the two shared the secret to the universe, and it irritated the younger boy immensely, because even if L _did _happen to know the secret to the universe, he hadn't shared it with Near. Of course he managed to also keep his usual emotionless expression at the same time, but Near could read through it. After all, he was the same way. Rolling his eyes, the youngest genii in the room resumed twirling his hair around his finger. L pulled his thumb out of his mouth and turned to the serial killer on his right.  
"Light, please go to contact your father and the rest of the task force. Thank them for their help with the case."  
Light—Kira—opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and stood up, shooting a last glance at Near before retreating out of the room after the founder of the old orphanage for genii. The room was silent as both detectives waited for the other to begin. Finally, Near snapped.  
"Would you like to tell me what you are doing alive?" He said, nonchalantly curling his hair around his index finger.  
"I am alive because I was never dead, Near."  
The younger boy scoffed, turning his gaze to look up at his predecessor.  
"And Light Yagami was alive the whole time too, right? Although I saw him die before my very eyes, you're going to tell me he lived through death." The albino assumed, and L narrowed his eyes, his thumb entering his mouth once again as he worried at it with his teeth.  
"No, but that's what I need for you to tell the others. Ash assumed you were dead and you never bothered correcting her, I've noticed?"  
Despite the fact that Near kept him calm façade on the exterior, he was fuming on the inside.  
"That doesn't really concern you, does it, _'Ryuuzaki'_?"  
The original L's eyes gleamed. "Hmm…yes, I suppose not….but, answer me this, when she became your 'successor', by that point what would you have done?"  
"Ash never wanted to be _your_ successor anyways. That's why she was always contempt being fourth."  
L shrugged. "Ah, and to answer your question earlier, Matt and Mello are back as well."  
"How?" Near's mask cracked as the frustration seeped into his voice ever so slightly. But this was L. He caught it automatically.  
"Because I wanted them back."  
"So you returned Mello, Matt, Wammy, and the Japanese police force, you even brought back _Kira_, but you didn't return B or Amane Misa?"  
"Amane Misa was Kira."  
"Amane Misa was the _second_ Kira, L."  
L shrugged. "tomato tomahto"  
"Absolutely not," Near knocked down the die he'd been stacking, sending his structure of a building tumbling and starting over from scratch. "has death clouded your judgment?"  
L turned back up to look at Near, his expression serious. "You know that the power of Kira was transferred from one being to another depending on the owner of the Death Note."  
"And _you_ know that there were two Death Notes."  
L sighed, picking up a doughnut and began licking it, averting his gaze. "You're no longer a child. I keep forgetting that. You do not blindly and fully accept anything I say any more."  
"And you still did not answer my original question."  
L's wide eyes looked up at him innocently. "I told you Mello and Matt are back."  
Near smirked, irritated. "Well, technically that was my first question, but 'how are you back' was the one I was referring to."  
L smiled in that annoying way that Near had managed to imitate perfectly. "Are you not pleased?"  
The truth was, Near didn't know. He had no idea whether he was pleased his predecessor had returned or not. A part of him was relieved—overjoyed, even. L had been his protector ever since he was young. He'd assured Near a spot at Wammy's and had kept a watchful eye on him as the boy had grown. The other part of Near couldn't help but worry if this would mean L would reclaim his title and it would be taken from Near just as quickly as it had been given to him. Because Near _liked _being L.  
_There were too many things he didn't know!_  
"I've yet to determine how I feel about this whole situation. Maybe answering my question would help make things clearer for me."  
L's smile widened, as if he were pleased with his successor's answer. The raven-haired man stood, his slouch more evident to Near than ever.  
"We'll have to discuss that later, I'm afraid. In private."  
Near bit down on his teeth. "Fine, then will you explain to me why Kira acts as though he doesn't remember being Kira? Why he does everything you say without question?" The boy had been in Near's presence for under ten minutes, but in that time Near had a chance to see, in his _eyes,_ that they were not the ones of the murderer he'd defeated in the warehouse. L just smirked at Near, his gesture telling his successor that he'd have to wait for that answer, too.  
"In the meantime, Raito and I will be returning to Wammy's. I invited you over here to ask if you would care to join us."  
"To visit Wammy's?"  
L nodded.  
"Well…when are you leaving?"  
"Tomorrow morning the helicopter will take us over. If you wish to know how we have returned and why Raito has forgotten his actions as Kira, I will be able to tell you once we arrive."  
"Fine."  
"Very well. You can spend the night in one of the many rooms we have here, if you wish. If not, we'll see you tomorrow, bright-eyed and bushy tailed before we take off."  
Near stood, smirking to himself. It had always amused him when L tried to be affectionate. He would make cute little childish remarks to the students of Wammy's every time he visited, but with his tone they always ended up sounded like he was finalizing a business deal.  
As he exited the room and maneuvered his way around the hallway, he heard someone calling behind him. He turned around to face Kira, and the albino had to fight the urge to keep walking. He waited as the brunette caught up with him.  
"Light Yagami." Near greeted tonelessly.  
"You—I've seen you before, haven't I? Where?"  
Near had to think about how to answer that. He lifted his finger up to begin twirling his hair around it, and decided that the best way to answer that was to act oblivious.  
"I'm afraid I don't recall making your acquaintance before today."  
Light sighed, frustrated, turning away from Near. "I _know_ I have, and you do, too. I'm _not losing it_." He jerked his gaze back to the albino. "What did you and Ryuuzaki talk about? What is he keeping from me?"  
"I don't believe I—,"  
"Save it, would you? I heard you say something about us dying. What did you mean by that?"  
The _nerve _of this arrogant little brat! Demanding things of Near, as _if!_  
"You'll have to discuss this with Ryuuzaki. I have no desire to get involved in your business with him. Now, if you'll excuse me—," Near turned away so his back was facing Kira.  
"W—wait. I'm, uh, supposed to show you to your room."  
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather you show me the exit. I have work to do today and I have to arrange to leave tomorrow."  
"L's pleased your coming," The boy muttered under his breath, gaining Near's interest and causing the albino to turn and once again face him. "I mean, I don't know who you are to him, but…he likes your company."  
"Of course he does, I am him."  
Light raised an eyebrow. "You sure are as cryptic as him."  
Near smiled, in the exact same manner as L, and Light's eyes widened. He shook his head and began to walk ahead of Near, leading him out of the building. The brunette stood out and watched as Near's car drove away before shrugging and re-entering the building.


	5. Chapter 4

**_ASH_**

Ash frantically flew down the hall to French class, her brown hair tied up into a messy bun by a pencil stuck through the middle. Her bag was half open, her multiple different textbooks and notebooks gripped in her left arm, a bagel being held in place in her mouth by her teeth. Her glasses sat on the edge of her nose, about to fall off. Since the past weekend had been too eventful, confusing, and chaotic for the young girl to get any of her homework completed, she had stayed up all night the evening before trying to finish it. In turn she'd slept right through her alarm. Ash was so busy trying to navigate herself through the halls that she didn't even notice that she was going to run into someone until she made contact and tripped, falling forwards and scattering all her books and papers (as well as her poor bagel) all across the floor. She landed flat on her face with her hands against the floor and her glasses skidded a few feet away. She muttered incoherent curses as she pushed herself up from the ground with the palms of her hands and groped around for her glasses before sliding them back on. Ash pushed some loose strands of hair away from her face distractedly, quickly collecting all her strewn books and papers. She nibbled on her lip in worry. If she was going to be in trouble for being late _before,_ she was in even worse trouble now. She didn't even bother to think about the other person she had run into until she heard him sneer.  
"So you run face-first into someone and you don't apologize? Time has changed you, Ash."  
The brunette froze. If she had had any trouble identifying that sneer before the person had spoken (which she hadn't) then there was no question about it now. She looked up at Mello, completely and utterly awed.  
"But—?"  
He held up one finger to shut her up. He wore the same cocky expression she remembered, except he had a huge scar occupying half his face. Ash was horrified. What kind of disaster had the dumb blonde gotten himself into to get such a gnarly souvenir? The leather-clad boy clicked his tongue in annoyance.  
"I'm not speaking to you until you apologize."  
Ash stood up, her books long forgotten, and stared at him in bewilderment, before slapping him across the face.  
Hard.  
"_Me?_ I should apologize? I'm not the one who ran away, totally abandoned everyone, then _faked my own death_! Do you have any idea how worried I was, you condescending asshole?! First that weird call from L saying 'he was back', where he went I have no idea but the absolute _nerve_ of him! Pretending he was dead then leaving the Kira case up to us! And you go pulling a stunt like that too! We _just_ had a ceremony for you on _Saturday_, you and Matt and Near—,"  
The girl stopped herself, mid-sentence, her mouth forming a small 'o' as the thought formed.  
"Oh my God. Are Matt and Near alright too?! Because L didn't talk, well, not to me, he spoke to Rodger, but then Rodger didn't mention anything about you guys, so I didn't think L did either and I wasn't even really paying attention to the call at the time, anyways, and—,"  
Mello, who had been staring at her with his eyebrows raised in shock since she'd slapped him, grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and shoved her against the lockers.  
"I told you," he said, his voice completely calm, which unnerved the girl in his grasp just so much more, "I'm not speaking until you apologize."  
The younger genii of the two glared up at her friend (or perhaps ex-friend, she still hadn't decided yet), and grit her teeth.  
"_I'm sorry_" She hissed sarcastically, fully aware that until she complied she would not be getting anything out of the prideful chocolate addict. Mello released his grip on her and she relaxed for a second before punching the boy in the gut and shoving him forcefully until she had him pinned against the opposite wall, pressing her forearm into his throat.  
"Your turn." She said innocently, smiling sweetly. Mello raised an eyebrow at her but instead of apologizing said, "When did you learn to fight?"  
"They've been preparing me for the role of L for awhile. You were right, time has changed me."  
The blonde shrugged and kicked her in the stomach, successfully removing her arm from his throat and whirling around so their positions were reversed. Now Ash was once again backed up against the lockers, Mello fisting her hair bun in one hand and painfully yanking it so that she had no choice but to keep her head pressed against the metal doors, Mello's other hand securing her hands in front of her by tightly gripping her wrists.  
"Now you have to apologize for that, too," Mello remarked disapprovingly, as if he were scolding a child. Ash rolled her eyes and yanked her hands upwards so that her fists connected with the boy's chin. As he loosened his grip on her, she let herself drop to the ground and slide under his opened legs. She mentally praised herself for picking the right day to wear shorts as she kicked his legs out from under him. Mello lost his balance and fell face-first on the ground, his stomach flat against the cold floor. She climbed onto his back and grabbed his hands, shoving them against the ground, pinning him there.  
"I'm not that pushover little girl who always ranked fourth anymore, Mello. You don't scare me." Ash snapped at the boy beneath her. "Now tell me where the hell you were and why you didn't tell me you were alive."  
Mello rolled his eyes and put all his force into his the tips of his toes and the palms of his hands, suspending both himself and Ash off the ground before turning over so that his stomach was facing upwards and the girl was trapped under him. She yelped and squirmed but Mello was quick and managed to keep her pinned down as he re-positioned himself more comfortably. He had managed to knock her glasses off her again as they'd alternated positions, and she saw his fuzzy form sneer down at her. Ash's eyes snapped up to glare at him, but the fire in her eyes died down as she stopped struggling, looking up at the right side of his face. It was blurry, but she had seen it well enough the last time she'd caught glimpse so that she never wanted to see it again. She squinted her eyes to try and clear her eyesight, to be able to look at him clearly, but her gaze kept wandering to his scar. Mello _knew _what she was staring at, she could tell by the way he glowered at her, and she could see he was resisting the urge to slap her.  
"Mello—," she whispered, then gasped as she felt him shift above her and focus all his weight on her stomach.  
"Mello, _get off me._" She ordered, beginning to struggle under him again.  
"Come on, Mells. I leave you for five minutes and you go—Oh, uhm, Hey Ash." Matt lifted his goggles off his eyes and half-smiled, popping a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it. Ash stared back at him in bewilderment and he raised an eyebrow before turning back to Mello and understanding.  
"Oh. Mello, get off her."  
"Make me."  
Matt sighed and shoved Mello off of the girl with the bottom of his combat boot. Mello fell unceremoniously to the ground and Ash took the opportunity to lift herself up off the ground and find her glasses, putting them back on and re-collecting her books that were by now trampled, ripped, and wrinkled due to her 'fight' with Mello.  
She stood up to walk away and turned to look at the two boys. Mello was sulking and glowering at the ground, violently snapping bites of chocolate off a Hershey's bar while Matt was completely oblivious of the world around him, solely focusing on the game console in his hands. Ash bit the inside of her cheek and straightened her back so it was as stiff as a rod. She turned away to walk off before Matt called after her.  
"Ash, aren't you coming to Wammy's office with us?"  
She slowly turned back to the two friends and raised an eyebrow. "I don't really feel like dealing with Rodger anymore for the next lifetime." She couldn't help but notice how the copper-haired gamer hadn't even looked up from his PSP while addressing her. The two boys seriously hadn't changed _at all._ They didn't even seem to have aged during their absence, either. The only thing different about either of them was Mello's scar. That was it.  
"Not Rodger, nimrod, Wammy." The blonde snapped.  
Ash narrowed her eyes at the chocoholic, not in the mood to argue with him. "Whatever. No, I'm not. I'm late to class and I'm already in enough trouble."  
Matt muttered something around his cigarette and shut off his game, lightly shoving Mello on the shoulder.  
"You didn't tell her _anything,_ did you? He gave you _one job_ and you—,"  
"She pissed me off!"  
"Everyone pisses you off."  
"Well maybe they should stop pissing me off, then!" Mello barked, and Matt rolled his eyes, turning to Ash.  
"Mello was _supposed_ to tell you that L is visiting and he wants to talk to us all today. You're excused from classes, by the way."  
Ash huffed at Matt in irritation and dropped her books, allowing them to fall to the ground. She held her hands up in surrender much in the manner a criminal would do to prove he was unarmed. When you're a student at Wammy's, you don't ignore L. It's practically law. L requests your presence, you drop everything and run. No matter how much you don't want to. And, at the moment, Ash _really didn't want to._ She followed the boys down the halls, the silence giving the young girl an odd sense of nostalgia. This was how things had always been before the stupid Kira case had gone and screwed her entire life up. She'd been friends with Mello and Matt. Near, too. Even if she was always blushing and acting ridiculous around him. She hasn't even realized why she had been acting that way, then, when she finally understood, he was gone. Off to catch a serial killer that had killed L. Of course, that only made Mello's competitive nature kick in and he was gone too, running off to catch Kira before Near did, leaving Matt and Ash together. Then, not too long after, Matt went chasing after Mello, leaving Ash entirely alone. Did anyone bother asking Ash to join them? No, she was the weak girl that got left behind. She was the one who had to stay at Wammy's and deal with the fact that her friends had gone off on a suicidal mission without even a proper goodbye (or any goodbye, at that). She was the one who had to deal with the fact that her friends could die at any random moment, if they weren't already dead. She was the one who had to cope, and she hadn't done a very good job. She spent all her free time locked in her room, just staring at the wall, never going outside. She stopped eating. Her grades had plummeted the first three months; she was ranking first one day and twenty-third the next. Of course, she managed to work her way back up as she got better. She was now honored with the title of first, but let her tell you something—it felt a hell of a lot less honorable than she'd ever freakin' imagined. Actually, it disgusted her to the point where she felt physically sick. They arrived at the door to Wammy's office quicker than she'd anticipated, and she was jolted out of her thoughts when Matt nudged her lightly with his elbow. She glared back at him and stormed past he and Mello, shoving the door open and marching inside.

* * *

A.N: okay this took wayyyyyyyyy too long to finish. I had it done and on my computer like a month ago then my sister deleted it while going through files (UGH I _hate _sharing a computer with her she's so unorganized and this is not the first time she's lost one of my files) so then I had to re-write it but I didn't like how it ended up because it wasn't as good as the first draft, then I kept editing it and editing it and editing it until I just got tired and took a break. I finally got back around to finishing it (woohoo!)  
Anyways, big reunion in the next chapter ^.^ and let me say I'm really excited to write it. But no spoilers, so I can't say anything else now (even if I reallyyyy want to)  
So once again, sorry about the delay, the next chapter should be up much faster than this one.  
Enjoy!


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